Does anyone have any any experience with the above setup? I’m thinking about getting a roof rack for my car but is there a way to have your bike on the rack if you have a disc wheel? From the pictures, it looks like the fork mount bike carriers have a clamp for your rear wheel to hold it down. I’m not sure how that would work with a disc though? Even if you could use the clamp via the hole in the disc where you pump up your tire, the valve stem would still be in the way? Can you secure it down any other way with bungie cords or anything?
Anyone with this setup have any suggestions? I’d like to get a rack, but this will most likely be the setup I travel with so I need to make sure that it’ll work for me.
“I just put the whole bike inside my wagan when traveling with a disc.”
That’s what I’ve been doing so far. My only trouble is if I’m planning on taking people in my car with me, or if I have luggage, etc… there isn’t enough room in the back (I have a WRX wagon).
The small bungie cords will probably work, but the rack manufacturers don’t even want you to put your disk in their wheel holders. They’re concerned about crosswinds and the speeds that you’ll be driving.
Another option is to use one of the bike mounts that allow you to hold the whole bike in place (both wheels still on the bike). This seems like it would be secure enough.
As mentioned by someone else, I just leave the training wheel on. Since I’m really just doing TTs, I warm up on the trainer with the training wheel anyways. I put the disk after my warmup. Why burn up a good tubular on the trainer anyways.
I am not sure about the disc on the roof rack either. Definatly not in the seperate wheel holder attachment. Maybe mounted on the bike in a fork mount set up using bungie cords to hold the back end of the bike down . . but only for short, slower drives. I would not do this on the highway for driving over 100km/h.
I am a big fan of keeping as much of the actual bike equipment out of the car - I have a small car - but the disc creates a bit of problem. Best place would likley be in the trunk and if you use a roof rack just put a training wheel in the rear for the drive to the race, as others have suggested.
Actually this is one of the reasons that when I had the option of a buy-out of my sponsorship deal with ZIPP a number of years ago that I opted for just a set of 440’s and not to buy the disc to - transportation of a disc is always a hassle and in reality the gains for most are minimal. Just my opinion.
Hmmm. The roof rack is sounding like it’s going to be more of a hassle than it’s worth. Maybe it would be better to go with a hitch mount setup instead? There shouldn’t be any issues with the disc on a hitch mount rack, no?
Ok. I guess I’ll forgo getting any kind of rack then and just sticking my bike inside the wagon. By the time I have to put the front and rear wheels inside the car, I might as well just prop the frame up inside the car as well since it’ll be easier to position without wheels inside.
It gives me an excuse to get that Hummer or Escalade, I guess.
Of course the best option is always to put the bike INSIDE the car, but I have been putting my bikes with disk wheels on a yakima fork mount rack for about 5 years with no problems using a bungie from the rear axle, under the rack, then usually to the other chainstay or rear drop out. Even went Columbus to Chicago once like that. I feel you all cringing as you read this, but bikes aren’t THAT fragile.
I would assume that just like riding the bike, the disk actually does better for my gas milage too!
I have the WRX Wagon also, love the car, its performance and versitility. I generally put my bike in the back with the seat down. I usually only travel with my girlfriend when bringing bikes. Before I had roof racks, I still had enough space for weekend luggage, and two bikes in the back (carefully placed and protected). I don’t have a disk (fellow slowtwitch outbid me on a RENN last month), so now both bikes on top.
I’ve done this dozens of times. I very carefully use an old toe strap (remember those?!) and use that to hold the rear disc wheel. be very careful around the value stem. I never had any trouble with this set up.
I do love my WRX. Probably the best car that I’ve owned to date! That’s pretty impressive though. Two bikes with luggage? I guess part of the reason why I don’t have space in the back is because I just lay mine down in the back wheels attached and all.
On your roof rack (since we have the same vehicle), do you have the low rider rail mounts or the Q towers? I heard that with the low rider ones, when you open up the hatch the spoiler hits the back of the rack. Can you verify that this does happen?
Another option was to get Q towers in front and low riders in back so I could mount everything more forward on my wagon. Seems silly if I can avoid it though. The rails are on my wagon already… I might as well use em.
I have the factory Yakima racks that fit on the standard Subaru crossbar/rails. The tailgate opens fully with bikes on and the spoiler does not hit either bike or rack. However, loading/unloading requires tailgate to be closed, since this involves rolling the bike back a few inches. Also, I am not to happy with the downtube clamp, as it is not very secure on its own. I strap a bungie to the clamp and around the headtube to keep it up. I had one incident with my Mountain bike where the clamp slipped down the downtube and the bike came done on the roof leaving a nice couple of dents (I take 80% blame, though, always doublecheck!) No problems though since the bungie trick!
I spoke with a triathlete at the Utah 1/2 Ironman last year who had a buddies bike with disc wheel attached get blown right of the roof rack. It busted the fork right where the wheel attaches. The were traveling about 70 mph when a micro burst side wind hit them. Off goes the bike? As others have said put your expensive race wheels in the car and travel with your training wheels or an old beater set.
(I take 80% blame, though, always doublecheck!) No problems though since the bungie trick!